Tips and techniques for the Macintosh computer

127 Pages·1985·5.251 MB·English

by  Sutphin, Susan

Tips
and Techniques
for the
Macintosh
Computer
SUSAN
SUTPHIN
PRENTICE-HALL, INC., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
Library of Consross Catalosins in Publication IJata
Sutphin, Susan. ldatel
Tips and techniques for the Macintosh computer.
Includes Index.
1. Macintosh ICompulerl I. Tille.
{}J\76.8.M3S87 1985 001.&1 85-599
ISBN o-t3-92Z 170.0
Editorial/production supervision: USA sciRJLZ
Interior design: JUDY MATZ.CONIGUO
Cover design: PHOTO PLUS ART
Manufacturing buyer: ED O'DOUGHER1Y
Macintosh@ is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc.
Apple® is a registered trademark of the Apple Computer, Inc.
© 1985 by PRENTICE-HAu., INc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
The author and publisher of this book have used their best
efforts in preparing this book. These efforts included the
development, research, and testing of the theories and
programs to determine their effectiveness. The author and
publisher make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied,
with regard to these programs or the documentation contained
in this book. The author and publisher shall not be liable in
any event for incidental or consequential damages in
connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing,
performance, or use of these programs.
All rishts reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, in any form or by any means,
without permission in writi ns from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 0-13-922170-0 01
Prentice-Hall International, Inc., London
Prentice-Hall of Australia Pty. Limited, Sydney
Editora Prentice-Hall do Brasil, Ltda., Rio de Janeiro
Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., Toronto
Prentice-Hall Hispanoamericana, S.A., Me;cico
Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi
Prentice-Hall of Japan, Inc., Tokyo
Prentice-Hall of Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., Sinsapore
Whitehall Books Limited, Wellington, New Zealand
CONTENTS
Preface v
CHAPTER 1 Tips on Disk Management
Create Work Disks 2
Copy the System Disk 7
Create Storage Disks 7
Create Duplicate Storage Disks 9
Renaming Disks 10
Working with More Than One Document at a Time 10
Hard Disks 11
CHAPTER 2 General Use Tips 14
Folders Within Folders 16
To Quit or Not to Quit? 23
Close, Save and Save As . . . 25
CHAPTER 3 Tips on the Apple Menu 29
About the Scrapbook 29
Storing Images in the Scrapbook 30
Storing Text in the Scrapbook 38
Copying from the Scrapbook Into a MacPaint Document 44
About the Alarm Clock 46
About the Note Pad 50
About the Calculator 52
IIi
iv Contents
About the Key Caps 56
About the Control Panel 56
CHAPTER 4 Tips on MacWrite 58
About MacWrite 58
About Rulers 58
About Headers and Footers 73
Working Within MacWrite's Document Size Limitations 74
Chaining Documents for Printing 80
Printing Selected Portions of Two-Part Documents 80
About Fonts and Styles 81
General Tips 84
CHAPTER 5 Tips for Fun and Profit 86
Tic Tac Toe 86
Hangman 88
Creating Your Own Games 89
Design-A-Message 90
Adventure and Fantasy 91
Clip Art 92
Tips for Profit 92
CHAPTER 6 Tips on Buying Software 96
The Manual 96
Mouse Technology 98
Fle;dbility 99
What to Look for in File Management Software 99
What to Look for in a Financial Program 102
Appendices 104
Game Software 104
Educational Software 106
Clip-Art 107
Art and Design Software 108
General 108
Financial Software 109
Word Processing Software 110
File Management Software 110
Programming Aids 112
Communications Hardware and Software 113
Peripherals and Accessories 113
Index 115
PREFACE
Whether you're a new or experienced computer user, it's a certainty that
you're most impressed with how easy it is to use the Macintosh. You are
not required to memorize numerous keyboard commands to accomplish
tasks, as you are with other microcomputers. Instead, the commands
are available as pull-down menus on-screen and are accessed with the
mouse. Also, because of the many mini-programs built into the com
puter's memory at the factory and its unique operating system, tasks are
accomplished rapidly, often with just a single click of the mouse. It has
been said that anyone can sit down at the Macintosh and learn to use it
almost immediately, and I tend to agree with this statement.
However, there are so many built-in features and often many ways to
accomplish similar tasks that users may tend to utilize the Mac like any other
microcomputer and not take full advantage of all it has to offer. This book
is designed to show you how to integrate the Macintosh into your daily en
vironment and make the most efficient use of its many features. Included
are tips and techniques that can be applied in many different environ
ments. The information is presented in an easily referenced format, mak
ing it possible for you to locate the technique you need quickly. Also in
cluded are valuable tips on what to look for when buying software, based
on my own experiences during the writing of this book.
As you read these pages and experiment with the techniques, it is
my hope that you will become aware of the real beauty of the Macintosh.
v
vi Preface
It has so many useful features that it can and should be at the very
forefront of your daily environment. This is not to say that the Mac is
perfect; it does have its limitations, but they can be easily overcome and
my solutions have been included in these pages.
This book assumes that you are already familiar with the Macintosh,
its functions and terms, and the use of the mouse. Refer to the Macintosh
manuals for a review of mouse functions and terminology.
Susan Sutphin
Tips
on Disk
Management
As you begin integrating the Macintosh into your daily environment, you
will undoubtedly see the need for a comprehensive disk management
system. This involves making backup copies of the disks that came with
your computer, setting up certain disks to hold certain applications· and
documents, and arranging each disk's contents in an efficient and orderly
manner. A good disk management system, once set up, can provide you
with rapid access to documents and applications, prevent the loss of data,
avoid unnecessary disk-swapping, and much more.
The nice thing about the Macintosh is that you can set each disk up
to meet the needs for which it is to be used. You are not limited by preset
formats set up at the factocy, as is the case with many other microcom
puters on the market. As an exaiDple of this, you may want to view one
disk's contents by date, another's by icon, and still another's by size (all
accomplished by means of the View menu available on-screen). Disks
can be further individualized by making effective use of folders to sub
divide their contents, resizing windows so that all or only a portion of a
disk's contents are visible at any one time, and moving windows around
on-screen. All such changes are maintained in the 15K reserved on each
disk for disk management, and will be immediately available when the
disk is inserted in the Mac's drive.
The tips and techniques in this chapter are designed to aid you in
setting up a disk management system that meets your individual needs.
1
2 Tips on Disk Management
Although designed primarily for owners with a single disk drive, infor
mation is provided, where applicable, for those persons with an external
drive. Also included in this chapter is a brief discussion of hard disk
drives.
TIP: Create work disks. A work disk is a disk that contains the
System Folder and one application (MacWrite or MacPaint, for example).
The System Folder contains infonnation that the Macintosh needs to
power-up; if you insert a disk that doesn't contain the System Folder on
power-up, you will get no response from the computer.
The System Disk and the MacWrite and MacPaint disks that came
with your computer all contain copies of the System Folder, but these
disks shouldn't be used in your everyday routine. Instead, the necessary
infonnation should be copied from these disks onto work disks. The
originals should be stored away from your daily work disks so that if
your work disks are damaged you always have the originals and can create
new work disks.
To create work disks ior each application:
1. Insert the System Disk on power-up. Once the disk icon is visible,
open it (click the icon to select it and choose Open from the File
menu, or double-click the icon) to display the contents of the System
Disk by icon (Fig. 1-1). If the contents are not displayed by icon,
choose By Icon from the View menu.
2. Eject the System Disk by choosing Eject from the File menu. Insert
a blank disk. If the new disk has never been used, a box will be
displayed (Fig. 1-2) that asks if you would like the disk initialized.
Click Initialize, and after a short pause, another box will be displayed
(Fig. 1-3) that allows you to name the disk. Note that the Title box is
blackened, meaning it is selected. To enter the name, just begin
typing. With the first keystroke, the box opens up so that whatever
you type appears in the Title box. (Hitting Backspace before begin
ning to type also clears the Title box.) Start with MacWrite and name
the newly-initialized disk MACWRITFlWORK. Click OK when the name
in the Title box is correct. (If you make a mistake, just use the
Backspace key and retype the infonnation until it is correct.) The
disk is now initialized and named, and its icon should be visible. You
should now have two disk icons on the desktop, the System Disk
icon and the work disk icon. The System Disk should still be opened
into a window, with its contents displayed by icon.
Tips on Disk Management 3
§0 SYSTEM DISK
6 items 345K in disk 55K available
~ CJ
v
Mao WritE!' Font MovE!'r Ernpty Folder
~
~ CJ
Di:s:k Copy
Fonts
Sy :s:tero Folder
Figure 1·1 Open the System Disk
so that its contents are displayed
by icon.
This disk is unreadable:
Do you want to initialize it?
Eject ] (Initialize)
Figure 1·2 When a blank disk is inserted, a dialog box asks ify ou would
like it initialized.